Apr 28, 2024, 1:43 p.m. ET
Milwaukee Bucks stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard have been ruled out for Game 4 of their Eastern Conference first-round series against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday in Indianapolis.
Lillard aggravated an Achilles injury late in the fourth quarter of Friday’s 121-118 overtime loss to the Pacers, which gave Indiana a 2-1 series lead.
Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks and Damian Lillard #0 of the Milwaukee Bucks watch during the game against the LA Clippers on March 10, 2024 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images
A source told ESPN that the injury is a strain of the right Achilles tendon, as first reported by The Athletic. Lillard, an eight-time All-Star, was seen wearing a walking boot on his right foot on Saturday.
Lillard’s Achilles tendon has been bothering him for a few weeks. He revealed that he had felt some discomfort after Milwaukee’s regular-season finale in Orlando and then missed the first few days of practice before the start of the playoffs to recover, a break that Lillard said helped him feel fresh entering the season. series.
Lillard, 33, is averaging 32.3 points, 5.3 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals in three games in the series.
Antetokounmpo, a two-time NBA MVP, has not played since injuring his left calf in a game on April 9.
The series returns to Milwaukee for Game 5 on Tuesday.
ESPN’s Jamal Collier and Field Level Media contributed to this report.
2024-04-28 17:43:00
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